In preparation for the national election, I am looking at our nation’s origins in Philadelphia, PA.–JW

The Swedes named their settlement New Sweden. They traded for furs with the Indians, planted wheat, rye, and tobacco, and built forts for defense.
However, the Dutch had previously established New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Though they had not settled the country, they did not like the prospering Swedish Colony. So they collected a little fleet with an army of about six hundred men and in 1655 set sail for the Delaware River. This was not a very large army, but the Swedes, not being strong enough to fight, gave up to the Dutch without firing a shot or striking a blow. They were left on their farms under the rule of Holland and the colony of New Sweden came to an end.
The English also claimed this region. In 1664 an English fleet appeared before New Amsterdam, took it without firing a gun, and named it New York. Then they sent two ships to the Delaware and took the settlement there also, but not until some Dutch soldiers had been killed and wounded. This was the first bloodshed in all the quarrels of the Europeans in that region.

<em>Numbers 35:33 (ESV)</em>
<strong>You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.</strong>

<em>Deuteronomy 21:1, 6-8 (ESV)</em>
<strong>“If in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him . . .
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’</strong>

Our Father in heaven,

How much blood has been shed along the Delaware River? As a descendant of European immigrants in America, I cry out for mercy. We have polluted the land of this great nation by spilling blood.

Lord, have mercy. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in our midst. Help us, we pray.

The Lamb of God, Your Son Jesus Christ, died to atone for our sins in Philadelphia, PA. We cover the blood shed in sin that pollutes this land with His Blood shed in love. We cover the blood shed by European settlers against one another.

Accept atonement, O Lord, for our nation, especially Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whom you have redeemed. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Philadelphia.

As intercessors of the church, we declare “Love!” over Philadelphia. Amen.
<em>Ephesians 5:25-27</em>
The Swedes named their settlement New Sweden. They traded for furs with the Indians, planted wheat, rye, and tobacco, and built forts for defense.
However, the Dutch had previously established New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Though they had not settled the country, they did not like the prospering Swedish Colony. So they collected a little fleet with an army of about six hundred men and in 1655 set sail for the Delaware River. This was not a very large army, but the Swedes, not being strong enough to fight, gave up to the Dutch without firing a shot or striking a blow. They were left on their farms under the rule of Holland and the colony of New Sweden came to an end.
The English also claimed this region. In 1664 an English fleet appeared before New Amsterdam, took it without firing a gun, and named it New York. Then they sent two ships to the Delaware and took the settlement there also, but not until some Dutch soldiers had been killed and wounded. This was the first bloodshed in all the quarrels of the Europeans in that region.

Numbers 35:33 (ESV)You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

Deuteronomy 21:1, 6-8 (ESV)“If in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him . . .
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’

Our Father in heaven,

How much blood has been shed along the Delaware River? As a descendant of European immigrants in America, I cry out for mercy. We have polluted the land of this great nation by spilling blood.

Lord, have mercy. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in our midst. Help us, we pray.

The Lamb of God, Your Son Jesus Christ, died to atone for our sins in Philadelphia, PA. We cover the blood shed in sin that pollutes this land with His Blood shed in love. We cover the blood shed by European settlers against one another.

Accept atonement, O Lord, for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whom you have redeemed. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Philadelphia.

As intercessors of the church, we declare “Love!” over Philadelphia. Amen.Ephesians 5:25-27

At the end they issue a call to prayer, and include a wonderful litany for marriage. I urge all of our readers to print this out and pray it regularly.

Today there is no place for either triumphalism or despair, so we prayerfully and sincerely urge a spirit of charity by all. We speak out of a concern for the consequences that our people and our neighbors will suffer from an unjust and unwise decision by five justices of the Supreme Court. We call those justices to repentance, even as we echo Jesus’ words, praying for God the Father to forgive them, for they know not what they have done.

We call our people to a season of prayer for marriage and offer the accompanying Litany and Prayer to guide us.

A Litany for Marriage

We thank you, heavenly Father, for graciously creating us in your image, male and female, and for ordaining

that a man and woman shall be joined as one flesh in the covenant of marriage.

We thank you, O Father.

We thank you for the gift and heritage of children and for placing them in homes which may be havens of

blessing and peace.

We thank you, O Father.

We thank you for the love between fathers and mothers and sons and daughters that binds together the

generations and undergirds our country’s social fabric.

We thank you, O Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, divine Bridegroom, we repent for all the situations in which we have dishonored the

covenant of marriage through selfishness or unfaithfulness.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We repent as a Church where we have failed to prepare our children for holy matrimony, or to care for those

who are widowed, divorced or single.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We repent where as citizens we have become complacent and neglected the defense of marriage in the public

square.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We pray you, Holy Spirit, to restore marriage to its due honor in our country and to revive our marriages and

families as emblems of your love.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

We pray you to strengthen our bishops and other leaders as they join with faithful churches to make a strong

God-honoring defense of your design for marriage.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

We pray you to have mercy on those who have promoted false teaching about marriage and on those who

have been led astray and harmed by it.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

Grant us courage, O Triune God, to hold fast to the truth of your Word, and give grace to those who are

counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his

glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and

authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

A Prayer for Marriage

Almighty God our heavenly Father, you have created us male and female in your image and have ordained that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. Look down in mercy, we pray, on our families, our church and our nation. Knit together in constant affection those who, in Holy Matrimony, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, the hearts of the children to the parents, and the hearts of all to those who are single or alone. Finally, grant that your Church may steadfastly defend the unchangeable bond of marriage which embodies the mystery of Christ’s love for us; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever.

In memory of Elisabeth Elliot, a wonderful mentor & example who died yesterday, a great prayer that she wrote and shared with many over the years:

Loving Lord and Heavenly Father I offer up today all that I am, all that I have, all that I do, and all that I suffer, to be Yours today and Yours forever. Give me grace, Lord, to do all that I know of Your holy will. Purify my heart, sanctify my thinking, correct my desires. Teach me, in all of today’s work and trouble and joy, to respond with honest praise, simple trust, and instant obedience, that my life may be in truth a living sacrifice, by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, my Master and my all. Amen.

Breathe on me, Holy Spirit,
that I may think what is holy.
Move me, Holy Spirit,
that I may do what is holy.
Attract me, Holy Spirit,
that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may guard what is holy.
Guard me, Holy Spirit,
that I may keep what is holy.

– St Augustine of Hippo (AD354-430)

There are at least 8 or 9 other great quotes and prayers from St. Augustine we’ve posted in years’ past. You can find them here.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 (ESV)Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Matthew 12:24 (KJV)But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

The meaning of Beelzebub is “lord of flies.”

O Father,
Help the intercessors, indeed help the whole church, in the United States to swat the flies. Teach us how to pray, fast, and give. We do not want Your anointing spoiled by the flies. O Father, that we would follow Christ in triumphal procession, trumpets blowing, spreading the fragrance of knowledge of Christ everywhere. Amen.2 Corinthians 2:14